Sphodromantis gastrica
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Sphodromantis gastrica, with the common names African mantis or common green mantis, is a species of praying mantis from Africa. It averages 65–75 millimetres (2.6–3.0 in) in body length, and has a very diverse diet, hunting any prey of reasonable size. It has a lifespan of approximately 332 days and usually females live longer than males. Their survival rate until adulthood is about 41.8%.
African mantis List of mantis genera and species Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Common Green Mantis sighting in Johannesburg on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 180th most-seen of the 213 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March–May and November–December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Green Mantis in Johannesburg on a given day, against under 5% in January–February and June–October, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Green Mantis sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Only Johannesburg, in our data
Johannesburg is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Common Green Mantis sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same order: Mantodea
The closest relatives of the Common Green Mantis that you can see in Johannesburg (order Mantodea, Mantises) are South African Mantis (about 10%), African Twig Mantis (about 10%) and Common Ghost Mantis (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Green Mantis is recorded against all the insects logged in Johannesburg (7 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
